The use of walking aids such as walking sticks, hiking sticks, elbow crutches, axilla (underarm) crutches, walkers (A.K.A. “Zimmer frames”), rollators, or canes by users with short- or long-term leg injuries or other mobility concerns (e.g., a desire for sure-footedness on uneven ground for a hiking stick) is commonplace. As the tip of the walking aid is placed on a ground surface during walking, large forces can be transmitted to the upper body (at the hands, wrists, arms, shoulder, back, neck, elbow joints, shoulder joints, or other body structures), which can result in upper body pain and/or fatigue which, in turn, may lead to crutch palsy, aneurysms, thrombosis, or other serious conditions.
In an effort to damp the impact force resulting from the load transmitted to the user during walking, walking aids incorporating force, or shock, absorbers have been developed. These known shock-absorbing crutches include dedicated spring-loaded crutches where the shock absorber is permanently integrated into the crutch body and which requires the user to purchase and use the spring-loaded crutch in preference to the traditional rigid crutch.
The disadvantages associated with the use of dedicated shock-absorbing crutches include the extra expense of purchasing the new crutch, the increased weight of the crutch (which can affect maneuverability), and the inconvenience of using a shock absorbing crutch on ground surfaces which do not require shock absorption and which therefore can lead to instability for the user. More recently, conversion kits have been developed to fit to existing crutches. However, known shock absorbers may suffer from one or more of the following disadvantages:
Attachment of the shock absorber to the body of the crutch can require the use of tools and therefore be inconvenient for the user to easily convert between a shock-absorbing crutch and a rigid crutch.
Multiple individual parts can make fitment of the crutch with the shock absorber inconvenient.
Attachment of the shock absorber to the body of the crutch can affect the integrity of the body of the crutch and therefore present a danger of failure of the crutch during use.
The lack of adjustability of the shock absorber can make use of the shock-absorbing crutch limited over different surfaces or with users of different weight.